T. and I went to Roche Bros today because he was out of his preferred yogurt which is not carried at Whole Foods. We got a variety of other things while there.

After that, I packed up the car a second time to go to Savers. On the way home, T. asked for tacos for lunch. Well, first he suggested Seoul Kitchen, then I pointed out we would likely be going out for dinner so maybe lunch at home. He suggested tacos. I thought, hmmm. We have everything! Yay! So I made beef tacos for him, put the rest of the beef away in the fridge for more tacos later and had a salami and fake gouda cheese sandwich for lunch, with coleslaw.

Meanwhile, R. had taken A. to get a haircut, because she's starting to get some split ends (she is growing it out). It looks great now! Then they went to the hardware store to get ... something probably related to the TV installation in her room.

I forgot to mention a couple of things from yesterday. I ordered a replacement fridge for the condo in Seattle. I _tried_ to make this happen when the freezer compressor broke while I was at the Cape, but I got this huge runaround about replacing the Subzero from 1999 was going to be a Problem. It wasn't, because K. and I discussed this at the time and made sure the original install would support a drop in replacement later, if needed. We ordered a side panel for the SubZero where it met the counter to the left, so it wasn't a full "built in" install in the first place. Sure, the new fridge will stick out slightly more (door + handle come out beyond the edge of the counter), but no big deal. And it's shorter, but there is no cabinet above, IIRC. And the french doors will require less clearance than what it is replacing. There was a little confusion about who would do the pickup, and the pickup and install isn't scheduled yet, but the fridge isn't available for a few days anyway, so I'll try to shepherd that along early next week.

ETA: OH RIGHT and the ants. So, the ants first showed up in force in the playroom (we think the cleaner put the foam tiles back wet after washing them, possibly also spilling something with food value at the same time). I got that under control pretty quickly, then we noticed them around the brown couch and the table next to it in the living room, where A. tended to eat while watching TV. So we worked with the kids on Not Eating in the Living Room, cleaned the area thoroughly, and got that back under control. Last night, it was ants on the island in the kitchen (I've spotted them in the trash, and dealt with that by taking the trash out quicker). R. cleaned the counter, the side of the island, and all along the ant highway that led back into the living room, past the brown couch and to the crack along the black granite stone in front of the gas fireplace which is where they were definitely coming from for the second discovery of Ants. But this time, I was prepared. I'd ordered a 2 pound bag of borax from Amazon, because apparently you can't get this stuff at just regular stores any more (why? It is a freaking miracle with so many uses! And it's not even hazardous to humans, as near as I can tell. Maybe I shop at the wrong stores.). I spooned a bunch of borax all along the stone, and boy, as expected, those little guys don't like that stuff. And that was the end of Ant Highway. We're gonna be diligent about keeping the counter wiped down and no food out at all until we're sure this is under control, but I'm feeling optimistic.

ETAYA: I finally finished bagging up the duplos in their original configurations. Here's hoping someone wants them! If I don't get any takers on FB, I'll offer them to Buttons & Bows, and eventually I'll donate the remnants to Savers.

ETA Seriously, I'm going to bed soon even tho it is barely after 9 p.m. T. went to bed at 8 p.m. and didn't even want to do bedtime routine. He was exhausted from bike riding and bouncy house. I did clean the upstairs tub, the mirror in the master bedroom (A. fingerprints all over it again), the mirrors in the upstairs bathrooms. I am All Chemicaled Up and ready for a nap now.

Converting borax to boric acid isn't likely to happy by accident outside the human body in my home, and I'm not planning on anyone ingesting this stuff.

If my kids were still of an age to be eating white powder off the floor, I would NEVER have done this, and I will make a point of reminding visitors who bring children of an age to eat white powder off the floor to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't approach the hearth.

That does help explain why it was tricky to find the stuff. I was confused, because in US regulation, borax has _less_ regulatory concern now than when I encountered it as a child.

I wasn't particularly tempted to use it for anything other than an ant treatment (I won't use it to clean my carpets, or in my laundry or anything like that). I certainly wasn't planning on using it in food! But if someone is contemplating using it as a "green" cleaning product, the warning is a good one. There are plenty of websites that focus on green/DIY cleaning products that suggest alternatives.

I don't view the inhalation risk as substantial and the quantity deployed isn't going to damage anyone's organs that is bigger than ... an ant.